Spain's oranges are considered among the best in the world.
Spain is the world's largest producer of oranges for the fresh fruit market and dozens of varieties grow along the Mediterranean coast. Spanish oranges fall into two general general categories, sweet and sour.
Sweet Oranges
Sometimes called white or blond oranges, the juicy, thin-skinned Valencia variety tops the list of Spain's sweet oranges. Cadenera and salustina, two other popular seedless sweet varieties, are known for rich flavor. Spanish growers also produce naval oranges, a sweet-flavored, juicy variety known for bump on the bottom that resembles a navel and the secondary orange that grows inside the fruit.
Blood Oranges
Spanish blood oranges are also sweet oranges, but they have pink or reddish colored flesh.Two different pigments, anthocyanin and lycopene, give the fruit its red hues. A 2003 study at King's College in London found that blood oranges contain up to 40 percent more vitamin C than other sweet oranges.
Sour Oranges
Many of Spain's sour orange groves are located around the city of Seville. Sour oranges are too bitter to eat as a piece of fresh fruit. Much of the crop is used to make marmalade. Oil pressed from sour orange flowers, and the fruit's rind and seeds, is used for flavoring in liqueurs, spices and teas.
Tags: blood oranges, fresh fruit, sour orange, sweet oranges